The process of online purchase intention in the era of live streaming commerce: Central role of flow experience

Abstract

This study proposes an integrated model explaining how consumer trust and the flow experience complementarily align in the process of purchase intention during live streaming commerce (LSC). This model, grounded in social exchange theory and flow theory, introduces two primary routes: the cognitive route establishes the link between streamer characteristics and trust in the product, while the affective route associates LSC characteristics with the flow experience. These two pathways converge toward purchase intention. The mixed route represents the relationship between trust and flow experience and demonstrates the sequential mechanisms leading to online purchase intention. First, a qualitative study consolidated the relevance of the concepts integrated into the research model. Subsequently, a quantitative study conducted in France with 555 respondents was used to test the proposed model. The results reveal the full mediation of trust regarding the effect of streamer characteristics on purchase intention. They also highlight the full mediation of flow experience. Trust thus represents a necessary cognitive basis but insufficient for increasing online purchase intention. It is only through its mediated effect via the flow experience that this intention is intensified. The interplay between trust (cognition) and flow (affect) sheds light on the underlying mechanisms of online purchase intention and opens up new avenues for research.